The Critical Pendulum
by reminiscent-afterthought
Summary: [spoilers for ep 127, AT post-127] Leo's plan hadn't been the only one. The four bracelet girls still searched for their precious someone. Yushou still believed in the boy he called his son. And Zarc...Zarc too searched for something, the same something he'd been searching for all along.
1. break the glass

**A/N:** Written for the Diversity Writing Challenge, f7 - a drabble novel, and for the The Halloween Trick or Treat Bag (Advent) (2015), day 14 - caramel corn: write a drabble novel.

This drabble novel was written after episode 127 aired, so it's probably not compatible with any future episodes. Because of this, some of the cards are made up as well, including two of the four special spells Leo made (and the other two are from Yuzu's and Selena's decks, but aren't necessarily the ones he meant - they just are for this fic). I've also tweaked Astrograph Magician's ability, because there's something in the current translation that ruins the entire premise that sparked this fic otherwise... It made sense in my head though, so we'll see if it occurred to anyone else or not.

Anyway, that's enough babbling from me. Enjoy!

* * *

 **The Critical Pendulum  
** _1: break the glass_

They were all engrossed. Reiji duelled the Professor, initial strategy thrown at the unexpected loss of his duelling partner, the four girls pounded on their glasses, Sakaki Yushou knelt next to his son and Reira wasn't sure _what_ was happening to Yuuya.

Until his hair straightened and shortened and he stood up and took his place again, ignoring his father's worry. 'This looks like a fun duel.'

No, that wasn't Yuuya after all. He was bleeding with too much anger and hate and…something else, something he couldn't quite describe. Reira cringed away. The girls pounded on their prisons. Reiji tensed and now he was caught between two evils and he wasn't prepared to handle them both at once.

He'd stacked his odds on Yuuya, after all, and the scale was tipping the other way.

He had to do something. His brother needed help. But if Reiji was outmatched in that duel, he'd only be in the way and he was terrified. Terrified of the man that was the father on paper and no way else. Terrified of that dark power leaking from not-Yuuya's eyes as well. But the girls would be worse, locked away and unable to do a thing from behind that glass –

A clumsy plan slotted into place, but it worked because nobody saw it coming until it was too late.


	2. take your places

**The Critical Pendulum  
** _2: take your places_

The glass of their prisons shattered like a star shower, and they'd barely had the chance to back away when it happened. Rin wound up with a bleeding palm – but that was a small price to pay. They were out. And the egotistical doctor had left them their decks and Academia-issued duel disks, so they were quick to interrupt. The duel split: Zarc versus the four girls, and Akaba Leo versus his sons –

Until Leo decided he wouldn't allow that intrusion, and carded Reira before anyone could move to stop him.

'Bastard,' Reiji hissed.

'He was only a replacement for Ray,' replied the Professor, unconcerned. 'We don't need him…with the resurrection of my daughter so close.'

Not one of those girls could imagine considering the Professor as their father, not even Selena who'd grown up at Duel Academia. Things that had confused her before now made sense – but still, there were more important people in her life, in all her lives.

They surrounded Zarc, and the four on one duel commenced.


	3. bear witness

**The Critical Pendulum  
** _3: bear witness_

Sora was the only witness at first, but then Kaito and Edo showed up. He wasn't sure if they'd brought something along with them to suddenly change the tide of battle – but he doubted it. That echo of something… He'd seen it before, with Yuuya, and with Yuuri too. That same echo was sounding from both Yuugo and Yuuri now.

And their dragons were screaming at each other. First it was Clear Wing Synchro Dragon and Starve Venom Fusion Dragon, and then they evolved: Crystal Wing and Greedy Venom, and all the monsters that tried to fight them were just gnats that were swatted away.

And then those two were cloaked in the shadow of something else, and that was…

Terrifying, somehow. Even if he'd never seen the likes of it before. Only a shadow of it in Yuuri and even less in Yuuya…

And he could do nothing but bear witness to it.


	4. loophole

**The Critical Pendulum  
** _3: loophole_

Dark Rebellion Dragon surprised none of them. Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon surprised both Rin and Ruri, who'd never seen a Pendulum summon before. But when Clear Wing Synchro Dragon and Starve Venom Fusion Dragon appeared on the field, all four of them were flabbergasted.

Maybe Ruri didn't recognise Clear Wing, but they all knew Starve Venom Fusion Dragon and who it belonged to. And it shouldn't have been in Yuuya's deck at all. Except it must have gotten there somehow since they'd last seen it, because it was right in front of them.

The four dragons. Right in front of them. And they had no idea which spells were the ones the Professor had talked about to counter them.

Zarc's face – Yuuya's face – twisted into a smirk. 'I have them,' he crowed, 'the four Dragons! I can summon Astrograph Magician and be one again!'

The girls tensed. So did Akaba Leo. But there was no stopping this.

'I banish my four dragons and summon Astrograph Magician!'

But when the blinding light that had emerged from his duel disk cleared, there was only Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon.

Yuzu slowly smiled. The pieces clicked into place, and by all rights she should have collapsed into a fit of hysterical laughter except there was still a duel to finish. 'Odd-Eyes _Pendulum_ Dragon,' she pointed out. 'Not Odd-Eyes Dragon. Pendulum didn't exist in the original world, right?'

No, Pendulum hadn't existed in the original world, even if it had been one of Zarc's reincarnations who'd brought it out.

'No,' agreed Akaba Leo, 'but all four Dragons have evolved. It won't matter.'

It wasn't quite right. It mattered. The evidence was right in front of them.

However…what was stopping Astrograph Magician from evolving too?


	5. circumventing the rules

**The Critical Pendulum  
** _5: circumventing the rules_

They had a boon, but Zarc was a fearsome opponent even with three of his four dragons banished from play and his Astrograph Magician a dead card in his hand. Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon fused with Yuuya's Entermates and grew and resurrected itself every turn.

And then he brought the banished dragons back.

Had he seen how to bring it out without Odd-Eyes Dragon?

They still hadn't found the way to seal those dragons.

But no. His "way" was a farce. They'd have called it a cheat except the magic card was legal. Still, changing the name of a monster to get around summoning requirements was unfair.

And it would only last one turn. Even if the duel broke up right then and there as Astrograph Magician appeared – and then fused the re-banished dragons.


	6. that entertainment

**The Critical Pendulum**  
 _6: that entertainment_

The duel between father and son was forgotten. The duel between Yuuri and Yuugo had frozen and Kaito and Edo found themselves locked out of it. Only the duel between the four girls and Zarc continued, and only because they had to find the key to split that monstrosity apart once more…

And rescue Yuuya. And Yuuto. And maybe Yuugo needed rescuing too, and maybe Yuuri would be more palatable once Zarc and the darkness he embellished was dealt with.

But still, how could they do it? It wasn't a duel they could call a duel – and, really, it never had been. It was an exchange of blows and nothing more.

'Yuuya…don't you remember your Entertainment duel?'


	7. loyal friends

**The Critical Pendulum**  
 _7\. loyal friends_

Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon was such a loyal monster. More loyal than he deserved. But who would have guessed that the change in status into a Pendulum card would save it and him now?

Even if everything around the two of them were fuzzed with black.

But something was happening outside. He couldn't be sure, since he never did remember his blackouts, but this stifling feeling that surrounded him and the way Odd-Eyes in his hand was glowing…

And the snippets of a conversation. Yuzu's voice. Akaba Leo's voice. Someone screaming in frustration. Then that name: Astrograph Magician.

He shivered and hung on his dragon.

It slipped through his fingers and vanished, and he crumbled.

Then he heard his name again.

'…Yuzu?'


	8. heading for endgame

**The Critical Pendulum**  
 _8\. heading for endgame_

'…Yuzu?'

It was Yuuya's voice. Faint, but there. 'Yuuya!' she cried again.

Ruri stepped up and added her own cry. 'Yuuto!'

'…Ruri.' And that did sound like Yuuto, from what Yuzu remembered. It had been a terribly long time though, and it wasn't like Yuuya, who she'd grown up with.

Her eyes watered.

Rin tried, but there was no answering echo of her name for her. Yuugo wasn't there. Probably, Yuuri wasn't there either.

But then how did Zarc have their monsters? How was Supreme Dragon King Zarc even _here_? Didn't that all mean they had a really good chance…but they still had no idea how to grasp it.

The dragon batted away their monsters. The girls scattered, dodging blows as though the monster were real and the monster was. The building was crumbling. The pods they'd been trapped in were completely crushed, and –

Arc-V. That machine that would bring back the original world. Zarc was heading right for it.


	9. and then hope smiles

**The Critical Pendulum**  
 _9\. and then hope smiles_

Akaba Leo would not watch his hope for the past be crushed – but the choice was out of his hands. His monsters were swept aside as easily as everybody else's, and it was only Reiji's Kali Yuuga prevented him from meeting the same fate.

A part of him angered at the thought of Reiji not protecting the machine instead, except Kali Yuuga was obliterated almost as soon as it put him down, proving the proposed action futile.

But Ray was his precious daughter. A daughter who'd swallowed his heart so he'd shoved the rest of his family aside: his new wife in Standard, and the son he'd had with her… all pushed aside for Ray and the chance to put Ray back together was now gone as well.

'Father,' Reiji said slowly, as the four girls took up positions and sent their monsters into battle again. They'd been called back from the grave, all of them. But they still hadn't drawn them: those cards that might change the tide of this battle. 'Ray is in each of them, you said. I don't remember her at all, but I know both Yuzu and Selena, and there are lots of other people who know them as well. Why not get to know them as well? Watch all the worlds grow as they have, mingling with each other and learning from each other and smiling together at the end of it all?'

'Smiling,' Akaba Leo repeated with a snort. 'Who's smiling in the face of the Supreme King Dragon?'

'Listen,' his son replied.


	10. as a smile echoes

**A/N:** Keep on forgetting to update in the spirit of studying... Dunno if that's a good or bad thing, considering my exam notes are over a thousand pages...

* * *

 **The Critical Pendulum**  
 _10\. as a smile echoes_

Yushou could hear the echo of his son's voice, but it was drowning in the roar of the dragon. And yet…even after everything Leo had said and the proof in front of his own eyes, he could see the little boy he'd raised with Youko, the little boy he'd given that pendulum and taught Entertainment Duelling to.

Funny how that new form of summoning Yuuya unearthed was called _Pendulum_ summoning.

Pendulum Summoning. Odd-Eyes Dragon. The pendulum. And before all that, meeting Akaba Leo –

The missing pieces slotted into place. The memories that had only stayed long enough to lay the groundwork before he'd forgotten.

But where was the pendulum now? He looked around. Debris everywhere, and glass glistening and making it hard to see –

And there! The pendulum, on a snapped cord. 'Sky Magician!' His faithful monster appeared in a burst of white and headed straight for the pendant.

Supreme King Zarc caught it – but not before it tossed the pendulum to Yuzu.


	11. moving pendulum

**A/N:** Since this one's directly related to the last, and to make up for the long gap in between... Next update will probably be on Tuesday, once all exams are done. Enjoy and till then!

* * *

 **The Critical Pendulum**  
 _11\. moving pendulum_

Yuzu caught the pendulum only moments before Sky Magician shattered into dust. _Yuuya's pendant…_ It would remind him, she thought, except she found she couldn't release her grip on it.

Instead, the pendulum swung behind her eyes.

But the answer still wouldn't be enough. Pianissimo would not reverse the negation of Bloom Diva's effect. Except there was nothing more. Not in her deck.

Selena was closest. Yuzu tossed the pendulum to her and the other girl caught.

She played Lunar Eclipse.

It would only affect Moonlight Lion Dancer. It still wasn't enough.

Selena passed the pendulum to Ruri. She played Lyrical Dance. All their monsters now shared a name – and they were all affected by Lunar Eclipse.

But there was still something missing.


	12. after half-time

**The Critical Pendulum**  
 _12: after half-time_

Bloom Diva could now attack Supreme Dragon King Zarc and reflect the damage, but Zarc was still an impregnable wall. They'd only stopped the ability that had negated their monster's effects.

Ruri tossed the pendulum to Rin.

The final puzzle piece. Torrential Winds.

With the wind as her wings, Bloom Diva struck.

The dragon crumbled, and there was Zarc and Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon again.

The duel was resumed. And so was the rescue attempt.

'Yuuya!' cried Yuzu. 'Yuuto!' called Ruri.

His eyes flickered. Rin threw the pendulum to Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon.

'That's mine,' said Zarc. 'Give it here.'

The dragon did nothing. The pendulum vanished from his claws.


	13. stringing the bow

**The Critical Pendulum**  
 _13: stringing the bow_

'It's mine,' said Yuuya. Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon gave it to him, and he smiled at his dragon. 'Thank you.'

He put the pendant back on, and it swung from the momentum before settling onto his chest.

It was back. Odd-Eyes was back as well. 'Yuuto?'

'Here, Yuuya.' His voice was soft, but he was back as well.

But the darkness was still there. 'What…can we do?'

The pendulum shifted on his chest. He clutched it. His father's words echoed in his ears. _When you're sad, smile._ And his own: _a duel is a way to talk together and smile._

Zarc had been an entertainer, once upon a time. He'd just gone about it the wrong way. But even Zarc could change. Even the supreme dragon could evolve.

'Ready?' he asked Odd-Eyes. It nodded.

'I'm ready too,' agreed Yuuto. 'And so is Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon.'

They'd found the Entertainment Duel they wanted. And it wasn't destruction.

They'd make Zarc smile too.


	14. screaming encore

**The Critical Pendulum**  
 _14: screaming encore_

'I banish Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!'

Those four spells. And Zarc was still duelling. Attempting to bring back his dragon again…or something new?

'With all four dragons now banished, I activate Supreme Dragon King's final effect. Infinite Entertainment!'

He did bring it back. And their spells were one use only. It wouldn't be easy to get them out of the graveyards to use again, if it was even possible.

Except the dragon was yellow, and calmer looking. All of them gaped at it.

Zarc did not see the change. It happened without him even realising it. Those cards had been beautiful…and Ray had been all the more beautiful when she'd played them.

He should have waited until after his match with her. So much wouldn't have happened then. But that aching hole in his chest begged to be filled. The crowd had screamed for more and more…

If only they'd screamed for smiles instead of screams of pain.

But now, in this new life of theirs, they'd screamed for both, and the smiles were overwhelming, now that he'd recalled that scene again.

Astrograph Magician and the Supreme Dragon King had evolved. Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon had become a part of it after all – but the pendulum had been the key to something else, something more.

Was it that easy? To entertain the people of the world with just a smile?

The four girls in front of him were crying now. Crying, but smiling. Why were they crying?

And why was there another boy looking on in worry, from an entirely different place?


	15. confetti and applause

**The Critical Pendulum**  
 _15: confetti and applause_

Yuuya and Yuuto both appeared and crumbled, and the dragon vanished. Yuzu and Ruri ran to them. Rin and Selena hovered behind. Reiji stayed beside his father and Yushou hobbled forward as best as he could manage.

Still, he wasn't quite at Yuuya before he woke up. That was okay though. Yuzu was hugging him now, and he was hugging her just as vigorously back. And beside them, Yuuto and Ruri were embracing as well. Two sets of friends and precious partners, reunited after long last.

'Yuugo is somewhere on the island,' he said instead, to Rin.

'I'll help you find him,' Selena volunteered. The two girls raced off.

Yushou turned to his old friend. 'I was right to hope, after all,' he said. 'Come, Leo. The old world has grown into four wonderful ones. Why should we try to erase them?'

'You won after all.' Leo lowered his head. 'But after all these years of looking for Ray, I can accept nothing more.'

'You have four Rays,' Reiji said. 'Each have grown up in a different way, and look how powerful they are together.'

'They have a long way to go,' said Leo.

'They're fourteen,' Reiji countered. 'Sakaki Yuuya has a long way to go as well, before he defeats me.'

'You're smiling.' The tired Yuuya shrugged. 'That's victory enough for me.'

And considering how light his heart felt right then, now that Zarc too had seen the beautiful duel he'd been unconsciously searching for, it had never been more true.


	16. take your seats

**The Critical Pendulum**  
 _16: take your seats_

After that, the worlds changed.

The dimensions stayed linked. It was like hopping on an aeroplane and travelling. Duel Schools traded students. Some wound up moving when they found a better fit. Others found themselves constantly entertaining guests.

Yuuya kept on having to put in guest appearances at the Palace in the Synchro Dimension until Rin managed to defeat him in the next Friendship Cup. Yuugo, who'd lost in the finals, swore he'd beat her the year after.

Apparently though, he'd never beaten Rin at all. Yuuya's duel record against Yuzu, in that respect, wasn't quite so bad.

And Yuuto and Shun and Ruri were all frequent visitors in the Standard Dimension, as was Selena. Yuuri, on the other hand, found the frequent visits from Yuugo to be a bit much, but he put up with it with more grace than he would have in the past.

Zarc had touched them all, but so had that final Entertainment Duel and the forces of nature that had played out within it. Maybe…he just hadn't wanted to admit things too.

He was avoiding Asuka though. He wasn't quite ready to reconsider her yet, after how they'd torn each other apart.

As for Yuzu and Yuuya, things went pretty much back to normal – except a good deal more friends than they'd had before the Miami Championships. The carded had returned, and Crow and the three orphan kids he looked after became as much fixtures at the Sakaki's breakfast table as Sora.

And the Akabas weren't quite the perfect happy family, but they'd get there eventually. Leo still pined after Ray, and spent most of his time watching one of her reincarnations from afar and not enough time with his family, but even a little time was a peace-offering towards Himika and an attempt to bridge the gap with Reiji…and apologise to Reira. They almost had to envy the Sakakis for how easy they slipped back into the family scene.

But they were also the ones who won a war by smiling, and Leo wondered what would have happened if Yusho hadn't been a friend who'd transcended the original dimension with him.


End file.
